Attitude is critical on and off the pitch – Lowton

Defender Matthew Lowton knows that he can never get too disheartened when faced with a spell out of the team.

The 28-year-old right back has been forced to sit patiently on more than one occasion since becoming Burnley boss Sean Dyche’s first signing of the summer in 2015.

Lowton, signed from Aston Villa following Kieran Tripper’s departure to Spurs, missed the start of his first campaign for the club after picking up an injury in pre-season and had to play the waiting game on his return with Tendayi Darikwa occupying the slot until December that year.

He came in and helped the club go on the 23-game unbeaten run to win the Championship title, but the Chesterfield-born full back suffered a similar fate this term having sustained a knee injury in November.

Lowton, who has signed a new deal to take up to the summer of 2020, was absent from the starting XI for 12 Premier League games owing to the form of former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley.

After reclaiming his spot in the 1-0 defeat to Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, he said: “I had to show it in my attitude.

“I can see from the outside that Phil has come in and done well so that’s why I’m not in the team, it’s not through any fault of my own.

“I got injured, that’s football.

“He came in and did well. I had to just keep working hard and looking for my chance.

Lowton added: “The lads have that [team ethic] in abundance here. A lot of people haven’t played for a lot of the season but have come in and done well, lads like Westy and Longy, even Popey at the start of the season.

“As soon as they come in they’re ready and that is down to their attitude when they’re not in the team. They train hard and they’re ready when called upon.”

With 259 appearances to his name in the top flight, Lowton revealed that he’s learnt plenty from working alongside the former Scotland international since his switch from the Potteries.

“He’s played a lot of games in the Premier League, so for me working alongside him it’s going to help, it’s going to help everyone,” he said.

“You see it in training, he’s always committed, he’s always working hard and it shows over a long career and a long period of time that is how he’s managed to play so many games.

“His attitude towards the game is great, he doesn’t come in and not do things right, it shows to people like me that you’ve got to keep doing it your whole career and never just have the attitude of ‘I’ve played so many games so I deserve to be here’. You have to keep on it day in and day out.”